Sidelines (Wounded Hearts #1)

by S. M. Smith

  “Logan, honey. Thank you for coming.” Logan’s mother reaches up and wraps strong, lean arms around his wide shoulders and kisses his cheek. Then she turns to me and holds a hand out. Her skin is soft, but firm, a definite sign that the majority of her day is spent keeping this place in line and there isn’t a task that she isn’t willing to jump in and help out with. “I’m Jillian, Logan’s mother.”

  Her mother hen eyes shoot him a look that clearly chastises him for one, his bad manners, and two, not letting her know that he was bringing company.

  “Mom, Lucy, this is Allie Mooreland. Allie, my mother and sister. Allie’s came to help.”

  I’m not sure if the emphasis was to remind me that this wasn’t the time to start questioning his family or let his family know that this wasn’t the time to break out the baby books.

  “Well, that’s awfully kind of you, but you don’t have to—”

  “I’d like to. Please.” I interrupt Jillian. A wide-eyed, surprised look crosses Logan’s sister’s face as she tries to communicate something to her big brother. Logan’s jaw ticks again as he gives his sister a sharp, impassive look.

  “Alrighty then. What do you know about gardens?” Jillian asks, taking my arm and leading me toward the corner of the land this side of the fence. A fairly large vegetable garden marked off with what looks like thin, wired fencing sits in a space of land between the back of the house and where a wooden fence meets the barn.

  “Um, the basics. Seed goes in the dirt, make sure it gets plenty of water and sunlight and when the vegetable looks ripe, you can pick it.”

  Lucy chuckles at my simplicity. “That’s about right.”

  Jillian smiles amusedly too. “Well the wind sure has done a number on our pea plants. Think you could help us brace some of the larger plants up?”

  “Show me what you need me to do. I’m a fast learner.” Both ladies seem delighted to have me here to help, but the feeling of someone watching us makes me turn to find Logan standing where we left him, his feet spread apart and his sculpted arms crossed over his chest.

  “Ignore him,” Lucy tells me as she opens the little gate to the garden and picking up a bucket that hangs from the fence. “He’s…”

  “Lucy.” Jillian halts her from whatever she was going to say, shooting her a stern look.

  “What? I was just going to say he’s overprotective. You’re not here to dig up some dirt that isn’t here, are you Allie?”

  Both women stare at me, desperation that I’m not here to smear Logan’s good name written all over their face.

  “No, I’m not. I’m here to help with this garden. And later, when the timing is better, I’ll have a few questions about him for everyone. But now’s not the time. So show me what I can do to help.”

  Lucy turns a triumphant grin to her mother before heading down the side of the garden toward a row of bushes. Jillian doesn’t smile, but nods her head, accepting my answer for the time being. Ten minutes later, I’m helping Lucy fill a bucket full of snap beans and holding up bent over bushes so Jillian can plant a wooden stake in the ground next to them and tie them up so they stand erect. As we move onto a row of cantaloupe and the girls proceed to tell me how the melons need to be turned to keep from molding, another set of car doors slam and a few minutes later, a tall girl with hair as red as Jillian’s and a young man who looks like he could be the star quarterback on the local high school team walk hand in hand toward the John Deere where Logan and his father are working with a group of guys to wrap a chain around the large tree.

  I get distracted for a second and watch as the girl wraps her arms around Logan while he only uses on arm to hug her back. He reaches out and shakes the young man’s hand. Even from sixty yards away, I can tell that Logan’s still surly and he seems to be taking it out on the kid.

  “Who’s that?” I ask, forgetting that I’m not supposed to be in investigative mode.

  “Emma and Owen,” Lucy says, not registering that I wouldn’t know who they could be.

  “Logan’s other sister and her boyfriend. They were in San Antonio when the storm blew through. I’ll be right back.” Jillian gets up off the ground without any preamble and leaves me and Lucy to continue working. I try to get back to work, but my inquisitive mind won’t let me tear my eyes away from Jillian as she hugs her daughter.

  “So how long are you going to be in Walker?” Lucy’s sing-song voice asks, finally pulling my attention back to the garden.

  “Um, a few weeks. I have a long list of people who I’d like to talk to.”

  “Good luck with that.” Lucy snorts.

  “What do you mean by that?” I reach down and find a baby cantaloupe that is soaked, I gently turn it so as not to sever the connection to the vine and lay it back down, wet side out.

  “Logan is a private person. Too much so if you ask me. He doesn’t like people prying.”

  “I wouldn’t say I’m prying so much as just trying to get to know him.”

  Lucy looks up from the plant she’s tending to and wipes her arm over her forehead, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

  “He’s a hard person to get to know. I’m his sister and I feel like I hardly know him.”

  Fantastic. “Well, if you have any tips on getting him to talk, I’m all ears.”

  A comical look crosses her face before she chortles. “Same here.”

  Sighing, I’m just about to move on down the row when the sound of the gate opening pulls my attention toward the girls who are joining us.

  “Allie, this is Emma.” Emma stops at the end of the row I’m working in and gives me a pleasant nod.

  “It’s nice to meet you. I saw your interview. I’m sorry my brother was being a jerk.” Dimples on either side of her face give her a welcoming air and I wonder who else in the family has that trait. Logan’s facial hair would keep his hidden, but from the few encounters I’ve had with Drew, I don’t remember seeing anything so adorable on his face.

  “Emma!” Jillian chastises her daughter, but I’m just relieved that I’m not the only person who thought that meeting was a disaster.

  “Come on, Mom. You saw how he was being deliberately vague. I get that he’s Logan and that’s just how he naturally is, but it was just rude of him to be so curt during an interview. He could have put forth a little effort.”

  Jillian pressed her lips together as if she’s trying not to agree with her daughter in front of me, so I politely nod my appreciation to Emma and set my focus back on the cantaloupe in front of me.

  “So this article,” Emma continues, “you’ve kinda got your work cut out for you, you know.”

  Oh, I know.

  I don’t realize I said that out loud until all three girls burst out in laughter. Even Jillian gives me an apologetic look.

  “Be patient with him. It’s easy to push his buttons, but if there’s anything I’ve deduced from watching you over the years it’s that if anyone can get anything out of my sweet boy, it’ll be you.”

  Jillian’s kind words give me hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, I might pull this story off.

  ***

  A few hours later, dusk is upon us and the branches that were crushing the roof of the barn have been removed, split into firewood, and the tree has been moved to lay alongside the barn. Everyone is sweaty, tired and starting to feel the stress of the day. Jillian and the girls invite me in to make a pitcher of sweet tea for everyone who came out to help. Glasses to have been passed to everyone and although the tea definitely helps to quench my thirst, my stomach is starting to grumble. Not to mention that I’ve got to figure out if there are any vacancies at the hotels over an hour away.

  “I’ve got a pot roast in the oven. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes if y’all want to join us.” Jillian tells the gentlemen who are all placing their glasses on a tray on a table on the front porch. One by one the other local men state their appreciation but decline the offer of food. When they all take off toward their trucks, Owen, Loga
n, and his father, Sam, start to make their way back to the porch too. With his hands in his pockets, Logan looks relaxed as he jokes with his father who has a hand cupped over his shoulder. They’re laughing about something, but when they reach the front porch and find me sitting with Logan’s mother and sisters, Logan stops in his tracks and his face hardens again.

  “Dinner’ll be ready in about twenty, honey.” Jillian picks up a glass and hands it to her husband. “Logan, you and Allie are welcome to join us. She’s been a big help today.” Logan’s steady gaze doesn’t leave mine, and it takes him a moment to acknowledge his mother’s words.

  “Thanks, Mom, but I need to get Allie back to town. She’s got to get on the road soon.”

  I didn’t realize how much of a good time I was having getting to know Logan’s sisters until the idea of leaving them left Logan’s mouth.

  “On the road? I thought you were staying in town?” Lucy looks at me, confused. Emma moves into Owen’s opening arms and sinks into his embrace as she turns curious eyes to me too.

  “Well, I was going to stay at the inn, but it apparently caught fire this afternoon.”

  Gasps and inquiries about people’s safety are thrown out into the evening air, all the while Logan watches my every move expressionlessly. I’m starting to feel like I’ve done something wrong by the way his hard stare won’t leave my person.

  “So you’re driving back to San Antonio tonight?” Emma asks, having put two and two together. “You can ride back with me and Owen. You could stay with me at my apartment if you’d like.”

  “No, she can stay here. There’s plenty of room and that way you won’t be wasting so much time driving back and forth.” Jillian’s leery disposition long forgotten since we’ve spent the last few hour chatting. We’ve covered everything from life in California and my college career to my favorite stadiums to report games from. I’ve gotten to learn a little about Lucy and Emma too, mostly just about where they go to school and activities they love. The two girls seem to have forgotten all about the real reason I’m even in Texas, making me feel welcome and wanted. I can tell we’ll be good friends during my stay.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised by all the hospitality, but I’m completely blindsided by the offers to stay in these people’s homes. Never have I built such trust so quickly with anyone, including Maggie and Walt. That’s just a true testament to their ability to parent me.

  “I couldn’t,” I say, politely turning down their offers at the same time that Logan says, “No.”

  All heads turn to his vehemency. “She’s going to stay at the ranch.” That jaw tenses again and I’m beginning to think this is a signature look for him.

  “I am?” I say confusedly at that same time every single member of his family says, “She is?” with equal amounts of confusion.

  “Um. Yeah. You can have the guest room downstairs.” His pointed stare watches my reaction, which isn’t anything more than total shock and awe.

  “Do you think that’s such a good idea, son?” Logan’s father’s stern look matches his son’s.

  “It’ll be fine. And it’ll be temporary. Just until the inn is back up and running.”

  “She really can stay here, Logan. There’s plenty of room in Emma’s old room and Allie’s already shown—”

  “I said she’s staying at the ranch.” Logan finally turns his steady gaze away from me to stare at his mother. Something passes between them and finally she nods, backing down. Lucy and Emma exchange looks before Emma shakes her head and turns toward Owen.

  “Take me back to the dorms?” Her tired look earns her a kiss to the forehead from her super sweet boyfriend. He hops off the railing of the porch and hugs Jillian and rubs the top of Lucy’s head before shaking hands with the other men. He stops in front of me and extends his hand.

  “It was nice to meet you, Allie. I hope we’ll see each other again.” There isn’t a hint of flirting in his tone, but I sense a shift in Logan as he comes to stand behind me. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I take Owen’s hand.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you as well. I’ll be around for awhile, so I’m sure we’ll see each soon.”

  Owen, apparently used to Logan’s antics, opens his arm out toward Emma. She instead reaches out to me and hugs me tight, whispering in my ear. “Good luck, honey. Let me know if I can help in any way.” She winks as she pulls back from me and reaches around me to kiss Logan on the cheek.

  “Be nice to her.” Emma slaps a hand on her brother’s chest and he actually feigns a wince before wrapping his arms around her. He must whisper something to her because she laughs out loud. “No, I just took the time to get to know her a little, and if you ask me, she seems like someone you need in your life.”

  Logan’s eyes skate back my way and this time I can’t look back at him. Instead, I’m pulled into another hug, this one smelling like vanilla and berries.

  “Just be patient with him.” Jillian pulls back and gives me a contented smile. “He’s a tough nut to crack, but he’s worth it.” She steps back into the arms of her husband and I get the first glimpse of where Emma got her dimples.

  Logan’s father reaches a hand out and gives me a kind smile. “We haven’t gotten the privilege. I’m Sam, Logan’s father. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “Likewise.” I shake his firm, calloused hand before crossing my arms over my stomach, hoping to hide the embarrassing growling coming from it.

  “We need to get back. I need to check on everything before I can call it a night.” Logan steps closer to my side, giving me a sense that he doesn’t want me near his family alone again. But before he can usher me off the porch, one last set of hands wraps me in one last hug.

  “It was really great getting to meet you. We’ll see you soon.” Lucy’s elated smile lights up her face as she steps back and moves on to her brother. She hugs his stomach, her head barely meeting his shoulders.

  In a rare moment of amiability, Logan leans down and presses a kiss to his sister’s head. She leans back and looks up him and gives him a hard look. “Be nice.”

  He lets go of her, but her eyes don’t soften. To watch such a tiny, petite person put such a large man on the spot makes me grin.

  “Why does everyone think I need to be nice?” He looks at his parents, wide-eyed. “I’m not a mean person.”

  “You’ve been mean to her since the moment you two arrived.” Lucy points a finger in his chest and he takes a step back. The look on his face says that he’s actually scared of the youngest Lassiter. “She’s a good person, Logan. Show her you are, too.”

  She nods her point before turning around and practically skipping into the house.

  Like a puppy with his tail between his legs, Logan turns an apologetic look to his parents before shaking his head and gesturing for me to take the steps ahead of him. I thank his parents for their wonderful hospitality and make my way toward the midnight black truck. Logan’s hand shoots out and opens my door before I can reach it, startling me that he was even that close. He helps me climb back into his truck allowing me a moment to collect my thoughts and figure out how I’m going to decline his offer too.

  His quiet demeanor is back when he jumps into the driver seat and starts up the beast of a truck. He backs out of his spot and turns us back onto the country road without so much as a look my way. The silences is deafening, keeping me from saying what I need to say. When we drive down the main strip of Walker, Texas, the reality of what happened today comes back to me and forms a lump in my throat. As far as we heard, no one was hurt, but the community suffered a major blow with all the damage. I think of Walt and what it would have been like to go through something like that with him, and suddenly I couldn’t be more thankful that California doesn’t get tornadoes.

  “Thank you for your help today.” Logan’s solemn voice pulls me from my thoughts, the lamp lights dimming as we leave the town proper.

  “Oh, um. It was my pleasure.” The quiet seeps back into the cab o
f the truck again and I realize now is probably the best time to state my intentions. But not realizing where we are until he pulls onto the long paved path that leads to his sizable home, the words get stuck in my throat as I take in the view in the evening glow. Exterior lights illuminate the circle drive and the long porch that slinks along the front of the house, putting the masterpiece on display for all to see.

  He parks the truck and I take a deep breath as I climb down from the passenger seat before he can fully make his way around the front of his truck. He closes the door, irritation on his face as he gestures toward the steps of the porch. The look gives me the opening I need.

  “Look, Logan. I appreciate the offer to stay here, but—”

  “You should stay.” The tenderness in his voice catches me off guard.

  “I don’t want to be an inconvenience to you.” His hand meets the small of my back and presses just enough to cause me to start moving. When I realize what he’s doing, I stop. “I can travel back and forth, it’s not a big deal.”

  “Yes, it is.” He takes a step closer, almost too close. “You see, my momma now believes you’re staying with me and if she finds out that you’re driving back and forth from the city, I won’t ever hear the end of it.” He reaches a hand out to turn me toward the house again, but I don’t follow his subliminal instruction.

  “Seriously, this entire trip is on the station’s dime, so I don’t mind at all. I don’t want to invade your home like this.”

  “Why not? You’re going to anyway.” The serious, almost reluctant tone makes me wonder just what he means by that. Something shifts in that moment. The wind changes direction and suddenly everything Logan invades my senses. His closeness takes my breath away and when I finally inhale again, a mix of spicy wood and something distinctly Logan invades my lungs and tugs until I have to stop myself from leaning forward and falling into his arms.